5 More Travel Tips for Barcelona

Twelve months ago Franca put together her five travel tips for Barcelona based on her personal loves and recommendations. A year down the line and a return visit to the city, it’s now my turn to find five things to do, based off our latest "off the path" experiences.

I must admit that on my first visit to Barcelona I really didn’t fall in love with the city. For years Franca and many of my friends had recalled all of their stories about how amazing the city is, how alive if feels, and each one of them had to tear themselves away at the end of their holiday.

On the last day of our first visit I couldn’t wait to leave.

Seemingly Barcelona is a bit like Marmite – you either love it or hate it.

It was only after our return visit this year for just over a week that I began to fully understand all of the poetic and dream-like descriptions of Barcelona. It IS incredible, from every perspective, and there’s really nothing that the city doesn’t contain. There’s always something to see or something to do in Barcelona no matter what your tastes are.

For architecture lovers there’s the Sagrada Familia. For couples romantic walks by the beach to take. For families there are more museums and art galleries than you can possible cover in a weekend. For solo travellers there are tapas bars and clubs where the party never stops. For foodies there are more restaurants and cafes than you could possibly visit in five years of daily visits, and for shopping-addicts there are some of Europe’s best known and luxurious brands.

My personal highlights of course relate to my loves and likes.

I’m fond of history, so I’ve picked something old. I’m fond of vegan food, so there’s no surprise that I’ve picked a great vegan-friendly and vegetarian restaurant.

I’m also quite fond of alternative and counter culture, so once I got to know the streets of the city there was only ever going to be one of a few areas that I’d want to "hang" in.

There’s no one more surprised about my complete 360 turnaround on my feelings about the city than me, so there really must be something about all of the hype that is centred in truth and hopefully this latest addition to our Five Travel Tips… series will be an example of that.

5 MORE Travel Tips for Barcelona

1. Monastery of Pedralbes

Still standing after almost seven-hundred years, the Monasterio de Pedralbes is a large three-story complex and adjacent church in which the nuns of the Order of Saint Clare (Franciscan nuns) went about their duties of praying to God for the sake of their wealthy benefactors, or anyone from the region of Catalonia or beyond who needed Gods mercy.

We were recommended to visit the monastery by the owners of the apartment we were renting at the base of Montjuic as they knew that we were keen on both modern and classic architecture, with this particular grande location being a highlight of the latter in Barcelona.

Of all the interesting aspects of the large estate on which the monastery stands, the central courtyard is by far the most memorable. The two tiers of arches that surround the large open green space in which the nuns would have meditation or have grown the necessary herbs needed are incredible. It’s the quiet solitude of this courtyard and many others I’ve visited through several European countries that makes me adore religious buildings such as this so greatly.

Whilst much of the collected buildings are open for observation or as rooms to house small exhibitions, the monastery is still lived and worshipped in today, so be mindful of that when you’re finding your own corner of peace there.

2. Teresa Carles Vegetarian Restaurant

All of our vegan and vegetarian friends were recommending this fantastic restaurant to us on our previous visit to Barcelona, however it was only on our return this year that we found time enough to share a lunch at Teresa Carles.

Only five minutes away from Placa de Catalunya, this vegetarian restaurant offers some of the best high end healthy food in the city and has done so for over thirty years.

Named after the chef who opened the restaurant with her husband more than thirty years ago, Teresa Carles is focused solely on providing a combined and mixed meal that draws inspiration from not just local Catalan cuisine, but also from the chefs on experiences of travelling around the US and Europe to discover great raw, macrobiotic, and lacto-ovo vegetarian food.

As vegans we had to trouble whatsoever enjoying lunch there and had one of the best variations on pizza we’ve tried outside of Italy.

Made from a rye dough base, this thin and delicate pizza was extraordinary and made me realise with every bite why not only my friends were recommending it, but why I would be too.

A rye pizza dough with spinach, tomatoes, and vegan mascapone

3. Torre Bellesguard – A Gaudi Masterpiece

As a first experience with the work of Gaudi, the relatively unknown Torre Bellesguard has left a deep impression.

Built as a family home under the patronage of Maria Sagués – a long time admirer of the Catalan architects work – it’s an incredible example of Gaudi trying to marry the elements of the Earth together with the latest methods in construction, plus a healthy handful of symbolism and spirituality.

4. Observe Barcelona’s Counter Culture

The lifeblood of Barcelona is the culture within it. The alternative and counter culture of Barcelona doesn’t just inspire people throughout Spain, but also across Europe and the rest of the world.

Young adults walk around, hang about, and pass the hours throughout districts such as Universitat and Raval, and in turn inspire everyone around them whether they like it or not. You only have to look at major high street Spanish fashion houses like Desigual to notice the influence local culture has.

One of my favourite areas to watch an example of Barcelona’s youth of today enjoying each moment that comes there way is outside of the MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona), just a short five minute walk away from La Rambla.

Every day without fail people of the city meet outside of the contemporary museum to talk, eat, drink, and skate. It’s really quiet interesting to sit and observe the comradely between both boys and girls, woman and men as they applaud their friends after finally nailing the flip or kick they’ve been trying to achieve for the past day, maybe even weeks.

If ever you’re looking for somewhere to grab a seat to rest or for a bite to eat, why not choose to watch the counter culture show? It’s free admission.

Don’t forget that the Visit Barcelona tourism website contains tonnes of recommendations for things to do in Barcelona, plus a list of all of the festivals, shows, and events that are on during your stay.

A skater mid-air outside of MACBA

5. Stay at a Barcelona-inspired Design Hostel

Barcelona’s outstanding design and architecture isn’t just restricted to the clothes people wear or the outside of buildings.

The people live and breath great design and it’s one of the many reasons people like Franca and I visit in the first place, but when we do, wouldn’t the best experience be spent inside a building that exemplifies the Catalan style?

Generator Hostel Barcelona is exactly that.

We stayed at this great design hostel during our last visit to the seaside city and the impeccable interior design has stuck with me ever since. The combined hotel and hostel experience that Generator now offers across Europe is very distinct and luxurious, yet they remain budget friendly regardless of how population the destination is, and it makes it all the more easy to recommend as my choice as possibly the best design hostel in Barcelona.

There’s Never Enough Time

Barcelona is clearly one of those cities that grows with you over time, and sometimes over multiple visits. Hence why I’m now so fond of returning for a third time in the future to maybe spend a longer period of time and explore more of what secrets the city has to share with us.

Maybe next year we’ll be able to return and explore enough to create a third travel tips collection?

Oooh, I’m dying to visit Spain and it’s been on my bucketlist for way too long. Barcelona has become a really popular destination for Danes so the flights are quite cheap these days. Your photos definitely makes me want to visit sooner than later.Miriam of Adventurous Miriam recently posted…Photo of the Week 29 – Croatia

I’m going to fly to Istanbul sometime next year with the free tickets I got from my frequent flyer miles, and it’ll be for a couple of weeks. I haven’t finalized my plans yet, but it should be along the way of: getting another cheap flight to south of France, then drive to the borders and take the train/bus to Barcelona, and then fly back to Istanbul.

I will bookmark both yours and Franca’s travel tips for sure!CL (RealGunners) recently posted…Vatican City

Haha, I love the Marmite reference. And I agree that there’s never enough time. I hope to visit Barcelona for the first time this autumn and with any luck will love it as much as you did the second time around!Heather @ Ferreting Out the Fun recently posted…Swooning Over Spring in Riga

Thanks for sharing your 5 tips with us. Barcelona looks amazing, im sorry that you didnt enjoy it as much as you’d thought! Maybe next time around!Pure Destinations recently posted…How to survive a long haul flight

I also did not fall in love with Barcelona when I visited, but I am willing to give it a second shot, and you two have given me some great new things to discover!Chanel | Cultural Xplorer recently posted…Saturdays in Cape Town at the Old Biscuit Mill

I really hope that when you do get to return that you find something about it to love. I didn’t think it was possible, but now I’m prepared to see that Barcelona is really quite special.Dale recently posted…Our 20 Tips for Slow Travel First-Timers

Ha ha, Barcelona is like Marmite. So true! I’m one of the haters, I’m afraid, but I DO love the Teresa Carles Restaurant. Actually, I was amazed with all the vegan food in the city in general. Maybe if I follow some of your other tips I’ll eventually move into the Barça-lovers camp.Wendy@TheNomadicVegan recently posted…Finding Compassion in a Place Called Slaughter

Great tips, thanks. I keep meaning to go back to Barcelona and explore the city a bit more. It’s one of those places that seems to have so much to do, it’s hard to know where to start if you want to get off the tourist trail. I guess you’ve helped a bit! 🙂Turtle recently posted…Things to see in Hanoi

Interesting suggestions, I found the counter culture really interesting too. Why did you hate it so much the first time? I got a bit frustrated after travelling in South America, but that was mostly culture shock.Katie Featherstone recently posted…Weird and wonderful things to do if you’re in Exeter (part 1).

I honestly couldn’t say what wound me up so much about Barcelona, to be honest with you.

It was something on the surface that I just couldn’t enjoy. It felt too crowded (even though we visited in a quiet January), filled with too many luxury stores, and too much falsity. On reflection I think I might have been in the wrong place mentally.Dale recently posted…Our 20 Tips for Slow Travel First-Timers

Hi Dale, great to hear about a super vegan-friendly restaurant in Barcelona as the Spanish aren’t necessarily known for their herbivore ways! Also nice to learn you changed your opinion about the city – sometimes I do find its takes me a bit longer to fall in love with cities than rural areas as it can be harder to locate the beauty of their counter culture!Steph of Big World Small Pockets recently posted…Spend the Night in a Castle on Jersey, CI

I’m now torn between loving the city and loving the countryside, so I don’t know how I can win? At least with Berlin you can be in the countryside within a quick train ride, with Barcelona I’m not so sure how much countryside there is to explore?

It’s really interesting how this second visit completely changed your opinion of the city, Dale. I definitely need to check out that restaurant if (when?) Zab and I get to visit Barcelona together.Sam recently posted…Our Upcoming Summer Plans with #mygaypride